Quake death toll climbs to 91, government declares emergency in Lombok

News Desk

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta /
Mon, August 6, 2018 / 12:25 pm

An elderly man rests in a makeshift ward set up outside Moh. Ruslan Hospital in Mataram, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, the morning after a 7-magnitude earthquake struck the island on Sunday evening.
(AFP/Adek Berry)

The death toll of a powerful earthquake in West Nusa Tenggara and Bali on Sunday evening has climbed to 91, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced in a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

North Lombok regency suffered the largest number of fatalities with 72 people killed, while Bali recorded two fatalities. Most victims were killed from falling buildings, the BNPB said.

The government has also declared an emergency status for East and North Lombok regencies until Aug. 11, said BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

As of Monday afternoon, 209 people have been reported injured and thousands of buildings, including schools and hospitals, damaged.

North and East Lombok saw the most damages, with 80 percent of the buildings in several areas completely demolished by the 7-magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake on Sunday evening was the main shock, said Sutopo, while the smaller one on July 29 was the “foreshock”. (evi)